Content summaries for upcoming media assets

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are disclosed to provide one or more content summaries for one or more media assets, wherein it is determined that consumption associated with a profile of a media asset will begin at a first time and at a second time that is a period of time prior to the first time, it is caused to be provided one or more content summaries for the one or more media assets, wherein the one or more content summaries are selected based at least on a duration of the content summary, such that a duration of the content summary is not greater than the period of time.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to the provision of content summaries toassist a user in choosing a media asset among a plurality of upcomingmedia assets.

SUMMARY

The amount of available or soon-to-be available media assets, inparticular of series including a plurality of episodes, is constantlyincreasing. The general offer for content is so wide that no one canwatch everything and no one actually desires to watch everything.Therefore, any consumption of media content involves choosing and makinga decision. In addition, some users might change their mind and, insteadof continuing to watch one series, may start a new series with whateverepisode that is going to be aired next on television.

There is a need for improvement of existing techniques. In particular,it has been observed that some users are available to watch contentbefore the live airing (such as a prime time), such that there is anamount of time that could be used to provide information about upcomingepisodes to be aired, for example in prime time. Systems and methods aredisclosed herein for automatically providing content summary of at leastone upcoming media asset (e.g., an episode of a series), the contentsummary being determined based at least on an amount of time availablebefore the upcoming media asset starts. The systems and methods aredynamically implemented and adapt to the schedule of the user. Forexample, a media content system may determine a first time at which aprofile (e.g., a user profile) will consume a media asset among one ormore media assets. The first time is, for example, a television primetime, during which several different media assets are beingsimultaneously aired. At a second time that is a period of time prior tothe first time, the media content system causes to be provided (e.g.,generates for display) one or more selected content summaries for theone or more media assets. The media content system selects contentsummaries based at least on a duration of each content summary that isnot greater than the period of time. The user is then free to choosewhich content summary to watch and he or she is ensured that he or shewill not miss the beginning of the upcoming media asset. A score may beassociated with each content summary, wherein the score is used to rankthe content summary. A list of the available content summaries may bedisplayed, ranked per the score (top score to bottom score for instance)and the user may choose which content summary to play. In particular,the media content system may determine the second time based on an inputon the profile (e.g., the user turning on the television), indicatingthat the user is available to watch some content.

In an embodiment, the media content system may retrieve a pool ofcontent summaries and may compute a score for each content summary ofthe pool. A selection may be then performed on that pool, using thescore, and the selected content summaries may be caused to be provided(e.g., they may be generated to be displayed or choosable for viewing).The pool of content summaries may include at least one content summaryfor each media asset. In an implementation, several content summariesfor a same media assets are generated. The closer the duration of thecontent summary is to the period of time (i.e., the time availablebefore the prime time), the higher the score. Other parameters may beinvolved in the computation of the score, such as a preference (e.g.,using the user's profile) and a linearity of the media asset (i.e., theimportance of sequentiality between different media assets formingepisodes of a series).

In an embodiment, the upcoming media assets are not yet available beforethe first time (e.g., the prime time). In an embodiment, the mediacontent system generates the summaries using content readily availablefor the profile on remote servers. For example, when the upcoming mediaasset is an upcoming episode of a series, the content summary mayinclude content from at least one previous episode of the series.

Media content mechanisms, techniques and systems are presentlyintroduced to generate content summaries for upcoming media assets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects and advantages of the disclosure will beapparent upon consideration of the following detailed description, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative diagram for providing one or more contentsummaries to a viewer, in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosure;

FIG. 2 is an illustrative topology of equipment (or computingconfiguration) programmed and configured for providing contentsummaries, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an illustrative flowchart of a process for providing contentsummary, in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative diagram of an implementation in which theuser changes his or her mind while watching a content summary, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is an illustrative flowchart of an implementation of FIG. 4, inaccordance with some embodiments of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 is an illustrative diagram of a situation of an implementation inwhich the user decides to watch another media asset, in accordance withsome embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Methods and systems are disclosed herein to provide a content summary toa viewer, the content summary being for an upcoming media asset that isto be output to the viewer at a given time. The content summary includesinformation that helps the viewer understand and enjoy the upcomingmedia asset, but, in one embodiment, does not contain any portionthereof. In particular, one or more upcoming media assets may be airedat a specific time that is beyond the control of the viewer. The mediaassets may be live TV programs such as movies, episodes of a series, TVshows, etc. The user device may be a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, aphablet, a computer with a display, a television, a Smart TV, a set-topbox connected to a screen, a video game console connected to a screen,etc.

FIG. 1 shows an illustration 100 of different steps for providing acontent summary for a media asset to a profile, by means of a mediacontent system (not illustrated in FIG. 1). The profile may be a userprofile associated with a user, which contains a viewing history andpreferences of the user. More specifically, as represented at 102, themedia content system may determine one or more media assets 104, 106,108 that are to begin at a first time T1 (represented on a timeline). By“begin”, it is meant that at the first time T1, the media assets 104,106, 108 will be accessible for viewing by the profile. In particular,they may all start at the same time. In an embodiment, the first time T1may be a prime time (e.g., 7 pm in the US, 9 pm in France, etc.) atwhich the media assets 104, 106, 108 will become available at the sametime. The media assets 104, 106, 108 may be further determined based onthe profile (e.g., through the viewing history or the preferences), suchthat not all media assets that may be aired at the first time T1 areinvolved in the method for providing content summary. The media contentsystem may determine a second time T2 that is period of time PT prior tothe first time T1. The second time T2 may correspond to a time fromwhich the profile may be solicited to receive content, until time T1when the media assets are being displayed. This means that the viewer,before the prime time T1, has decided that he or she is free to watchsome content until the media assets 104, 104, 106 begin. The mediacontent system may assist him or her in making a choice. At the secondtime T2, the media content system may provide, to the profile, one ormore content summaries, for example 104 a, 104 b, 104 c, 106 a, 108 a,108 b for the one or more media assets 104, 106, 108. Each of thecontent summaries that are provided to the profile is selected based atleast on a duration of the content summary (represented by a length ofthe bar along the timeline). For example, the one or more contentsummaries may be presented as an icon, thumbnail or selectable element,in a list. The media content system provides to the profile only contentsummaries whose lengths are less than the period of time PT, representedin FIG. 1 by the right extremity of each bar being to the left of thefirst time T1. This concretely means that any content summary started atthe second time T2 will be over by the first time T1. This ensures thatthe user will not miss the beginning of the media asset that he or shechooses to watch. For each media asset 104, 106, 108, the media contentmay retrieve one or more content summaries, thereby forming a pool ofcontent summaries. For instance, as illustrated in FIG. 1, for mediaasset 104, three content summaries 104 a, 104 b, 104 c are retrieved;for media asset 106, one content summary 106 a is retrieved; and formedia asset 108, two content summaries 108 a, 108 b are retrieved. Toperform the selection, the media content system may compute a score foreach content summary, the score taking into account the duration of thecontent summary. In addition, as represented at 110, the media contentsystem may provide a list of the content summaries 104 a-c, 106 a, 108a-b, ranked based on the score (e.g., the top score at the top, moreeasily selectable on the profile, and the lower score at the bottom,less easily selectable by the profile), wherein the content summariesare selectable by an input. The score (or any representation of thescore, such as a conversion into percentages) may be displayed alongwith the content summaries, especially when a list with several contentsummaries is displayed. Finally, as represented at 112, the mediacontent system may receive a selection from the profile of a contentsummary (here, content summary 104 a) and starts playing the contentsummary 104 a. In addition, the media content system may also receive,at around time T1, a selection by the profile of the media asset towatch (here, media asset 104, because it is the media asset that isrelated to the content summary that was displayed between time T2 andtime T1).

FIG. 2 shows an illustrative block diagram of a computing configuration200 that may include the media content system presently described.Computing configuration 200 includes a user device 202. In someembodiments, the user device 202 may include control circuitry 204 andan input/output (I/O) path 206. Control circuitry 204 may includeprocessing circuitry 208, and storage 210 (e.g., RAM, ROM, hard disk,removable disk, etc.). I/O path 206 may provide device information, orother data, over a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN),and/or other content and data to control circuitry 204. Controlcircuitry 204 may be used to send and receive commands, requests,signals (digital and analog), and other suitable data using I/O path206. I/O path 206 may connect control circuitry 204 (and specificallyprocessing circuitry 308) to one or more communications paths.

User device 202 may include at least one output device, such as adisplay 212 (e.g., a screen) and/or a speaker 214 to output contentvisually and audibly. In addition, to interact with a user, user device202 may include a user interface 216. The user interface 216 may includea touchscreen, mouse, keyboard and/or any other types of device. Theuser interface 216 is connected to the I/O path 206 and the controlcircuitry 204. In an embodiment, the user interface 216 and the display212 may be a touchscreen enabling the user to provide input(s) to theuser device. The display 212 may be a screen (such as a monitor or aTV). The user device 202 may be a smartphone, a tablet, an e-reader, alaptop, a smart TV, a phablet, etc. Alternatively, the output device maybe connected to the user device. In this case, the user device may be aset-top box, a computer tower, etc.

Control circuitry 204 may be based on any suitable processing circuitrysuch as processing circuitry 208. As referred to herein, processingcircuitry should be understood to mean circuitry based on one or moremicroprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors,programmable logic devices, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs),application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc., and may includea multi-core processor (e.g., dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or anysuitable number of cores) or supercomputer. In some embodiments,processing circuitry may be distributed across multiple separateprocessors or processing units, for example, multiple of the same typeof processing units (e.g., two Intel Core i7 processors) or multipledifferent processors (e.g., an Intel Core i5 processor and an Intel Corei7 processor).

Memory may be an electronic storage device provided as storage 210,which is part of control circuitry 204. Storage 210 may storeinstructions that, when executed by processing circuitry 208, performthe processes described herein. As referred to herein, the phrase“electronic storage device” or “storage device” should be understood tomean any device for storing electronic data, computer software, orfirmware, such as random-access memory, read-only memory, hard drives,solid state devices, quantum storage devices, or any other suitablefixed or removable storage devices, and/or any combination of the same.Nonvolatile memory may also be used (e.g., to launch a boot-up routineand other instructions). Storage 210 may be configured to store themedia asset or at least to act as a buffer when the media asset is beingstreamed.

Computing configuration 200 may also include a communication network 220and a server device 222. The user device 202 may be coupled to thecommunication network 220 to communicate with the server device 222. Thecommunication network 220 may be one or more networks including theInternet, a mobile phone network, mobile voice or data network (e.g., a5G, 4G or LTE network), mesh network, peer-to-peer network, cablenetwork, or other types of communication network or combinations ofcommunication networks.

In some embodiments, server device 222 may include control circuitry 224and an input/output (I/O) path 226. Control circuitry 204 may includeprocessing circuitry 228, and storage 230, which may be similar to thosealready discussed in relation to the user device 202. Server device 222may be a content provider for the user device 202, such as a streaming,VOD, replay platform, etc.

The media content system may comprise the user device 202 or the serverdevice 222, in a client/server approach or depending on whether themedia asset is being streamed from the server device 222 or beingretrieved from the storage 210. Alternatively, the media content systemis distributed over the user device 202 and the server device 222.

FIG. 3 is an illustrative flowchart of a process 300 for providing acontent summary or content summaries, in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosure. Unless specified otherwise, process 300,and any of the following processes, may be executed by any of controlcircuitry 204 or 222 or any combination thereof, using the communicationnetwork 220.

At step 302, control circuitry determines that consumption, associatedwith a profile, of one or more media assets is to begin at a first timeT1. The profile may be a user profile on the user device 202 or on theserver device 222, associated with an account, for example. In anembodiment, each media asset is an episode of a series. The series maybe linear, wherein the episodes are meant to be watched in a specifiedorder, or non-linear, wherein the episodes are meant to be watched inany order. The first time T1 may be a time before which the one or moremedia assets are not available to output for the profile. Any exclusiveprogram on television (i.e., one never displayed before and notaccessible on replay or video-on-demand or any other streaming services)falls under that definition. In an example, the first time T1 is a primetime, for which the audience may schedule their daily activities to beable to watch one of the media assets that are to be aired. The firsttime may the end of commercial break on a TV channel. The first time maybe a release date on a streaming service (e.g., video-on-demand, replay,etc.). The first time may also simply be an arbitrary time determined bythe user profile at which the user desires to watch a media asset. Forinstance, the user may wish to watch a media asset at 8 pm, after goingto the gym from 6 pm to 7 pm. The first time T1 is therefore fixed inadvance and known by the media content system. The media assets involvedat step 302 may be only media assets matching the profile. For instance,a viewing history or preferences associated with the profile may be usedto pre-select the matching media assets. Alternatively, the media assetsinvolved at step 302 may be of all kinds and the media assets that donot match the profile will be set aside using the scoring. The mediacontent system may thus narrow down the scope of content summaries to beprovided to the profile.

At step 304, control circuitry determines a second time T2, which islocated a period a time prior to the first time T1. The second time T2corresponds to a time at which the profile may be provided with contentsummaries. The media content system may receive a request for contentsummary from the profile (e.g., an input on the user interface),indicating that the user is available to watch some content before themedia assets start at the first time T1. That request may be detectingthat the profile is on (e.g., by the user turning on the user device orspecifically requesting content summaries for upcoming media assets, bymeans of a clickable button). From the point of view of the user, thiscorresponds to free time for which he or she is available to watch somecontent before the first time T1. Contrary to the first time T1, thesecond time T2 is not determined in advance. In an implementation, thefirst time T1 is known by the media content system before the secondtime T2 is known. The period of time PT defined by the amount of timebetween the second time T2 and the first time T1 may be of any length.The period of time PT may be between 5 min and 1 hour, or between 10 minand 30 min. In the above example of a prime time, the first time T1 isset by the media asset providers and does not depend on the user, whilethe second time T2 entirely depends on the user. In the example of thefirst time T1 being the end of a commercial break, the second time T2may be the beginning of the commercial break; the period of time is thenlikely to be just a few minutes long,

At step 306, control circuitry retrieves a pool of content summariesthat are related to the media assets. As illustrated in FIG. 1, for eachmedia asset, one or more content summaries are retrieved (three contentsummaries 104 a-c for media asset 104, one content summary 106 a formedia asset 106 and two content summaries 108 a-b for media asset 108).If there are N media assets at the first time T1 and Mj contentsummaries retrieved for the j^(th) media asset, then the total number ofretrieved content summaries is M1+ . . . +Mj+ . . . +MN. In anembodiment, the content summary does not include content from theupcoming media content. This enables the media content system to avoidspoiling an asset for the user. In an embodiment, the content summaryincludes content related to the media asset (for instance, previousepisodes in the case of a series or an ongoing show, or content similarto the media asset to provide a background to the user). In oneimplementation, the retrieved content summaries all have a duration thatis shorter than the period of time PT. In another implementation, theretrieved content summaries may have a duration that is longer than theperiod of time PT. More detail will be given below.

At step 308, control circuitry computes a score for each of theretrieved content summaries of the pool. The score takes into account aduration of the content summary compared to the period of time PT. In anembodiment, the score also takes into account a linearity of the mediaasset. The score might be an integer, such that a relationship order maybe defined between different scores. More details about the score aregiven below.

At step 310, control circuitry generates for display a list of selectedcontent summaries among the pool of content summaries. The list maycontain all the content summaries of the pool or only a fractionthereof. Control circuitry selects the content summaries using thecomputed scores. In an embodiment, control circuitry generates fordisplay the list of selected content summaries as ranked by score.Higher scoring episodes will be more easily clickable (e.g., at the top,taking more space on the display, etc.) than the lower scoring episodes(e.g., at the bottom, taking less space on the display, etc.).

At step 312, control circuitry receives, from the profile (and thus theuser) an input indicating a choice of a content summary of thosegenerated for displayed at step 310. In response, control circuitry maytherefore start playing the chosen content summary.

At step 314, control circuitry receives, from the profile, an inputindicating a choice of a media asset that begins at the first time T1,and control circuitry generates instructions to display that media assetat the first time T1. In one embodiment, the input indicating a choiceof the media asset uses the input indicating a choice of the contentsummary (at step 312), such that a same action from the user causeswatching the content summary for the media asset, between the secondtime T2 and the first time T1, and watching the media asset at the firsttime T1. For instance, there is no need to switch to a channel airingthe chosen media asset or leave a menu to access this channel.

It is indeed understood that the user is likely to watch the media assetfor which he or she requested to watch a content summary. The mediacontent system therefore ensures a smooth experience, which optimizesthe available time of the user while enhancing the pleasure of watchinga series.

The content summary may include content from other episodes of theseries. In particular, when the media asset is linear (or sequential),the content summary may include content from previous episodes (e.g.,from previous episodes only). In order to improve the quality of thecontent summary, control circuitry may take into account the episodes ofthe series last-viewed by the profile. In that case, the content summarymay include content from episodes between the last-viewed episode(excluded or included) and the upcoming episode (excluded, as it may notbe available or no spoilers are desired). In one implementation, onlythose episodes are used. Control circuitry may further take into accountthe date of the last viewed episode. If that date is prior to athreshold (for instance one week or one month before the second timeT2), the content summary may include content from any episode precedingthe upcoming episode. As it is possible that the viewer has forgottenabout the last-viewed episode, this enables the media content system toprovide a content summary that is extensive enough for the viewer tobetter enjoy the upcoming episode. If the date of the last-viewedepisode is before the threshold, then the content summary may includecontent from the episodes between the last-viewed episode and theupcoming episode, as detailed above.

In an embodiment, step 306 of retrieving the content summaries mayinclude receiving the content summaries from an external provider (orseveral external providers). The content summaries may therefore bepre-generated and distributed upon request. The media asset provider orproducer may have generated a plurality of content summaries for themedia asset. In another embodiment, step 306 of retrieving the contentsummaries may include generating the content summaries. In this case,control circuitry may retrieve content related to the media asset forwhich a content summary is to be generated. The retrieved content may bereadily accessible on at least one server device for the profile. Forinstance, if a profile has a subscription to a premium streaming servicewhich has all the previous episodes available, control circuitry may useany of those episodes. Conversely, if a profile has no subscription to apremium service, and therefore not all the previous available episodesare accessible but only a fraction thereof is (e.g., on a free streamingservice), then control circuitry may use any episodes of that fraction.If no content is readily accessible, then no content summary for themedia asset is generated. Consequently, no content summaries will beprovided.

In an embodiment, at step 306, each content summary that is retrieved orgenerated has a duration that is less than the period of time PT. Ascore will be computed only for those content summaries. In anotherembodiment, the content summaries may have a duration that is more thanthe period of time PT. In that case, either the control circuitry mayfilter and discard the content summaries whose duration is more than theperiod of time PT (this therefore amounts to retrieving or generatingonly content summaries whose duration is not greater than the period oftime). In an implementation, instead of discarding those contentsummaries, control circuitry may shorten them, thereby creating asummary of a content summary, in order for it to have a duration that isless than or equal to the period of time PT. Alternatively, at step 306,the retrieved content summary may have a duration that is more than theperiod of time PT but the score, at step 308, will reflect thatinformation so that the content summary is not provided to the profile.

As explained above, the score has a function to rank the contentsummaries. In one embodiment, the score takes into account the durationof the content summary compared to the period of time. The closer theduration is to the entire period of time (but not greater), the higherthe score for that content summary. In one embodiment, the score alsotakes into account a linearity of the media asset. In this situation,the media asset is considered to be an episode of a series. A linearseries (or sequential series) is a series for which the episodes arearranged in a specific order and are interrelated in terms of plotline.A consequence is that the episodes, for a better experience, need to bewatched in the specific order. The degree of linearity may differbetween series, or between sections (i.e., a certain number ofconsecutive episodes) thereof. The higher the linearity of the series towhich the upcoming media asset belongs, the higher the score of thecontent summary for that media asset.

In the expression of the score, the importance of the duration Dcompared to the period of time may use the ratio D/PT. The ratio forcontent summary spanning exactly the entire period of time D (that is tosay from the second time T2 to the first time T1) is 1. A ponderationcoefficient A may be used to arbitrate (A·D/PT). As indicated above, thecontent summaries that are considered may have a duration D less orgreater than the period of time PT. In the former case, where theduration D is less than or equal to period of time PT, the expressionD/PT is acceptable. However, in the latter case, where the duration isgreater than the period of time PT, the expression D/PT is notacceptable because the longer the content summary, the higher the score.To avoid such a situation, the score may include a selective expressionto discriminate. For instance, a conditional formula may be used, suchas: if D<PT, then Sc=0; otherwise Sc=A·D/PT. Any time of expressionallowing the score to discriminate as desired based on the duration Dand the period of time PT may be used.

In the expression of the score, the importance of the linearity of themedia asset may be expressed with linearity index K. Such index may bedetermined using metadata associated with the media asset or informationretrieved from different sources. For instance, the index K may bestored with the content summary, or may be a metadata retrievedindependently from the content summary. The server device might storethe index K in storage 230. The index K may take several predeterminedvalues in the function of the linearity. For instance, a highly linearmedia asset (that is to say a media asset that is a series where themain plotline evolves substantially between episodes of the series) mayhave K=1 (e.g., series “24” with Jack Bauer, or “Mindhunter”). A mildlylinear media asset (that is to say a media asset that is a series wherethe main plotline barely evolves between two consecutive episodes) mayhave K=0.5 (e.g., “The Simpsons”, “Friends”). A non-linear media asset(that is to say a media asset that is a series where there is noplotline) may have K=0. In a similar manner to the ratio D/DP, aponderation coefficient B may be used to arbitrate (B·K).

In an implementation, the linearity index of the media asset may dependon the episode of the series. For instance, depending on the episode(s)of a series, a media asset may be non-linear at some point, mildlylinear at another point and highly linear at another point. Forinstance, episodes of a same TV game are usually non-linear, and eachepisode is self-sufficient in terms of content. However, there may be asequence of episodes during which a same candidate appears. Although itis not paramount to enjoy the episodes, it is preferable to have aknowledge of what happened in previous episodes. That media asset (i.e.,the upcoming episode with the candidate) may be labeled as mildlylinear. Finally, during some periods of the year, there may be a singlesession of the TV game that is split and spread over a plurality ofepisodes. In this situation, to enjoy the episodes it is highlyrecommended to have a knowledge of what happened in previous episodes.Another example is “Friends”, which would oscillate between beinglabelled as mildly linear or highly linear.

In addition, the determination of the linearity may take into account aviewing history of the profile. If between the episode last-viewed bythe profile and the upcoming episode (i.e., the media asset) there are acertain number of episodes, then even a mildly linear series betweenconsecutive episodes may become highly linear over that certain numberof episodes. Therefore the score may take into account the number ofepisodes, in a sequential series, between the episode last-viewed by theprofile and the upcoming episode. This can be defined arbitrarily, withK=1, if that number of episodes is more than three or five, forinstance.

In an implementation, the linearity index K may be more preciselydefined, with more than three values or with a continuous scale (orquasi-continuous, such as a percentage).

As mentioned above, the score may also take into account a match betweenthe media asset and the profile (viewing history or preferences). In theexpression of the score, the importance of the match may be expressedwith preference index L. Such preference index L may be determined indifferent ways, and may use known algorithms of recommendations. L mayhave a value close to 1 when the media asset strongly matches theprofile or a value close to 0 when the media asset poorly matches theprofile. This is another implementation of the selection of media ofinterest described above. In a similar manner to the ratio D/DP and thelinearity index, a ponderation coefficient C may be used to arbitrate(C·L).

Combining the previous examples, a score Sc may be as: if D>PT, thenSc=0; otherwise Sc=A·D/PT+B·K+C·L, where A and B are ponderationcoefficients. D/PT, K and L are in competition, such that a contentsummary for a highly linear media asset might get a high score eventhough its duration does not span the whole period of time PT (for asame value of L). Conversely, a content summary for a non-linear mediaasset (K=0) might get a lower score, even though its duration equals theperiod of time PT (for same value of L). The choice of A, B and Cdepends on the characteristics of an operator who implemented the scoreand enables to choose the influence of the duration, of the linearityand of the preference on the computed score. This is exemplified withthe following situations, when D=PT, K=0.5, and L=1 then Sc=A+B/2+C andwhen D=PT/2, K=1 and L=1 then Sc=A+B/2+C. Based on the values of A andB, either of the two scores may be higher than the other one. The samereasoning can be used for coefficient C.

In an embodiment, control circuitry does not cause to be providedcontent summaries for non-linear media assets. Several implementationsto do so are possible. First, the selection may be performed upstream:control circuitry may operate a selection of the upcoming media assets.For instance, among the matching media assets (i.e., those identifiedusing the profile), only the linear ones are kept (i.e., those beingepisodes of a linear series). As a result, the pool of content summariescontains content summaries only for linear media assets. Second, theselection may be performed midstream: control circuitry may compare thecomputed score with a threshold and will not cause to be providedcontent summaries whose scores are below the threshold. In the exampleabove, when a media asset is non-linear, K=0 and the score will be low.The higher K, the more discriminating the formula will be against scoresof content summaries for non-linear media assets. Alternatively, aconditional formula may be implemented as well, as for the duration D:if K=0, then the score is 0. The same reasoning applies for media assetswith low preference indices (less than a threshold, for example). Eitherthose media assets are not considered when retrieving content summariesor the score will set them aside (as C·K will be low, the overall scoremay be low), or a conditional formula may be added, such as: if L<Ltwhere Lt is a predetermined preference threshold, then the score is 0.

After the viewer chooses a content summary, at step 312, controlcircuitry starts playing the content summary. However, the viewer mightchange his or her mind at any time between the second time T2 and thefirst time T1.

FIG. 4 shows an illustration 400 of different steps for an update inproviding a content summary for a media asset to a profile, by means ofa media content system (not illustrated in FIG. 4), and FIG. 5 is anillustrative associated flowchart of a process 500, in accordance withsome embodiments of the disclosure. In FIG. 4, which includes a portionof FIG. 1, the same references as those of FIG. 1 are maintained for thesame elements, and updated elements are marked with an apostrophe (′).At step 502, control circuitry determines an updated second time T2′,which is a period of time prior to the first time T1, but later than theoriginal second time T2. The updated second time T2′ leads to an updatedperiod of time PT′ before the first time T1. The media content systemmay receive a request for another content summary from the profile(e.g., an input on the user interface), indicating that the user desiresto watch something else before media assets start at the first time T1.This request may be detecting that the content summary being played hasbeen paused or closed. At step 504, control circuitry retrieves anupdated pool of content summaries that are related to the media assets.The rest of the process 500 is identical to process 300, with controlcircuitry generating, at step 506, a score for the content summary, and,at step 508, generating for display at least one selected contentsummary based on the updated score. The steps corresponding to steps 312and 314 are not disclosed here but are identical. The updated pool ofcontent summaries may be a fraction of the pool of content summariesretrieved at step 306, in which only the content summaries whoseduration is not greater than the updated period of time PT′ are kept,with a filter as disclosed previously (as illustrated in FIG. 4, withn/a for the updated score). Alternatively, the updated pool of contentsummaries is unchanged, but the updated score will set aside the contentsummaries whose duration is greater than the updated period of time PT′,as disclosed previously (also illustrated in FIG. 4, with an updatedscore of 0 for those content summaries). Alternatively orcomplementarily, new content summaries, which were not present in theoriginal pool, may be added. As the updated period of time PT′ isdifferent from the period of time PT, the score for each content summaryis also updated, such that, for instance, a poorly scored contentsummary (because too short, for instance) becomes highly-scored as itsduration may now match the updated period of time PT′. FIG. 4illustrates this situation, with updated scores (score of 78 versus anupdated score of 50 for content summary 104 c for example) that thenlead to a new ranking in for media summaries (not presented as ranked inFIG. 4). In addition, to avoid submitting to the profile a contentsummary that was already chosen and then finally refused, controlcircuitry may, either at step 504 or step 506 take that into account andeither filter and discard the already-chosen content summary (if notautomatically set aside because of its duration) or add a parameter inthe formulation of the score. In a similar manner, control circuitry maydo the same for all the content summaries related to the content summarythat was chosen and then refused (in other words, all the contentsummaries for the media asset).

In an embodiment, the media content system may enable a user to catch upon content that was aired while he or she was watching something else.In particular, this embodiment is useful when several episodes of aseries are aired and the user decides, after having watched one or twoepisodes of a series, to switch to another series on another channel,during a commercial break. Control circuitry determines that a mediaasset (e.g., an episode of a series) of interest was being displayed tothe profile between a third time and a fourth time. The third time isprior to the fourth time and the fourth time is prior to the second time(or equal to it). At the second time, control circuitry retrievescontent summaries for upcoming media assets that are not related to themedia asset of interest (e.g., other episodes of the series). Indeed, asthe user has just seen episodes of the series, he or she is notinterested in watching a content summary. However, he or she might wantto watch another series, for which episodes were aired during the thirdtime and the fourth time. Therefore, the content summaries for theunrelated media asset include content that was aired between the thirdand the fourth time. In an implementation, the third time is thebeginning of an episode of a series, the fourth time is the end of anepisode of a series, the second time is the beginning of a commercialbreak and the first time is the end of the commercial break and also thebeginning of an episode of another series. In particular, the fourthtime and the second time may be identical.

FIG. 6 shows an illustration 600 for the embodiment with the third timeT3 and the fourth T4, which involve three different series 604, 606, 607whose episodes are respectively 604 a-b, 606 a-d, 608 a-h (a media assetbeing an episode of a series). Between the third time T3 and the fourthtime T4, episode 604 a of series 604, episodes 606 a and 606 b of series606 and episodes 608 a-f of series 608 are accessible. However, the userchose on his or her profile to watch series 604 (episode 604 a, watchedin FIG. 6) and therefore cannot watch series 606 and 608. The fourthtime T4 is defined as the end of the episode 604 a, and the first timeT1 is defined as the beginning of the upcoming episodes 604 b for series604, upcoming episode 606 c for series 606 and upcoming episode 608 gfor series 608. At the fourth time T4, the user decides to watchsomething else. At the second time T2, which is the beginning of acommercial break (that matches the end of the episode 604 a andtherefore matches the second time T2, in FIG. 6), the media contentsystem provides for the profile content summaries (not illustrated)relating to the series 606, 608, and including content from episodes 606a-b for content summaries for series 606 and content from episodes 608a-f for series 608. This way, during the commercial spanning between thesecond time T2 and the first time T1, the user may choose a contentsummary of media assets that he or she missed between the third time T3and the fourth time T4, and he or she can go on at the first time T1watching the next episode of the series for which he or she has justwatched the content summary.

The above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are presentedfor purposes of illustration and not of limitation, and the presentdisclosure is limited only by the claims that follow. Furthermore, itshould be noted that the features and limitations described in any oneembodiment may be applied to any other embodiment herein, and flowchartsor examples relating to one embodiment may be combined with any otherembodiment in a suitable manner, done in different orders, or done inparallel. In addition, the systems and methods described herein may beperformed in real time. It should also be noted, the systems and/ormethods described above may be applied to, or used in accordance with,other systems and/or methods.

1. A method for providing content summaries for one or more mediaassets, the method comprising, before a start time at which a mediaasset is to be aired: determining that consumption associated with aprofile of the media asset will begin at a first time, wherein the firsttime corresponds to the start time of the media asset; determining,based on an input, a second time that is a period of time prior to thefirst time; retrieving a pool of content summaries, including at leastone content summary for each media asset; computing a score for eachcontent summary of the pool, wherein the score is based at least on aduration of the content summary; and causing a list of content summariesfor the one or more media assets to be generated for display, whereinthe content summaries are selected amongst the pool based on the score,such that a duration of the content summary is not greater than theperiod of time, and wherein the content summaries are ordered based onthe duration of the content summaries.
 2. (canceled)
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein retrieving a pool of content summaries comprisesgenerating at least one content summary for a media asset using contentrelated to the media asset that is readily accessible on at least oneserver.
 4. (canceled)
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second timeis the beginning of a commercial break and/or the first time is the endof a commercial break.
 6. (canceled)
 7. The method of claim 1, whereinthe second time is determined by a request for a content summary.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the score is further based on a user'sprofile including information about the one or more media assets.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, wherein, for a media asset that includes at least oneupcoming episode of a series, the content summary includes content fromat least one previous episode of the series.
 10. The method of claim 9,wherein the score further takes into account a sequential aspect of theepisodes of the series.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the score ispositively correlated with the duration of the content summary, so that,all other parameters being equal, the longer the catch-up duration, thehigher the score.
 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:receiving a selection of the content summary to play; and receiving aselection of the media asset to be provided at the first time.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the selection of the media asset uses theselection of the content summary.
 14. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: determining an updated second time; at the updated secondtime, which is an updated period of time prior the first time but laterthan the second time, causing to be provided one or more contentsummaries for the one or more media assets, wherein the one or morecontent summaries are selected based on at least a duration of thecontent summary, such that a duration of the content summary is notgreater than the updated period of time.
 15. The method of claim 14,wherein the one or more content summaries caused to be provided at thesecond time are content summaries that were caused to be provided at thefirst time.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more contentsummaries caused to be provided at the second time are new contentsummaries.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the score of each contentsummary is updated as well.
 18. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: determining that a media asset of interest was caused to beprovided between a third time, prior to the second time, and a fourthtime, prior to the second time; wherein: the one or more contentsummaries to be provided are for media assets that are not related tothe media asset of interest; and the one or more content summariesinclude content that was aired between the third and the fourth time.19. A computing device for providing one or more content summaries forone or more media assets, before a start time at which a media asset isto be aired, the computing device comprising control circuitryconfigured to: determine that consumption associated with a profile ofthe media asset will begin at a first time, wherein the first timecorresponds to the start time of the media asset; determine, based on aninput, a second time that is a period of time prior to the first time;retrieve a pool of content summaries, including at least one contentsummary for each media asset; compute a score for each content summaryof the pool, wherein the score is based at least on a duration of thecontent summary; and cause a list of content summaries for the one ormore media assets to be generated for display, wherein the contentsummaries are selected amongst the pool based on the score, such that aduration of the content summary is not greater than the period of time,and wherein the content summaries are ordered based on the duration ofthe content summaries.
 20. The computing device of claim 19, wherein theone or more content summaries to be provided include several contentsummaries that are ranked based on the score of each content summary.21-36. (canceled)
 37. The method of claim 1, wherein a media asset ofthe one or more media assets is not available before the first time anda content summary for the unavailable media asset is based on one ormore available media assets.
 38. The method of claim 1, wherein thescore is further based on a linearity of the media asset associated withthe content summary.
 39. The method of claim 1, wherein the score isbased on how close the duration of the content summary is to the periodof time.